Hi Camilla, thanks for being this month’s Spotlight! Can you tell us about yourself and your interests?
I have been a civil servant in Department for International Development and the Foreign Office for 25 years, firstly as a conflict adviser with postings to/on Sri Lanka, DRC, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, and more recently as a generalist on Rising Powers and South Asia. I loved my work in South Asia working on the highest country in the world (Nepal) and the lowest (Maldives), including inputs to the National Security Assessment on Global Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Collapse. But I realised I wanted to learn much more about nature and biodiversity and offer my policy and management skills in return. I have always loved birdwatching; it’s been a big hobby of mine ever since I first went to Kenya and Tanzania. I started volunteering at Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve a couple of years ago, wanting to understand their work better. So I started as a volunteer at DICE and then came on board as an Innovation Associate, using my skill set in terms of understanding policy and some of the cross-governmental issues you might face trying to get things done, to reach out to contacts in these organisations to support conferences etc.
What are you working on currently?
Through the Innovation Team I am helping staff and students understand UK policies on environment, planning and farming and where nature and biodiversity research can interface, so I’ve been giving some lectures on that. I have also been researching Nature-based Enterprises in Kent to understand which local companies and businesses are having any positive impact on nature. We’ll be presenting a poster on it at the British Ecological Society (BES). I’m also helping organise a conference on the intersection between Nature, Farming and Planning. The idea is to improve knowledge of national level legislation and policy – some of which has been really positive for nature and some less so – and then consider how implementation is happening in Kent, what issues people are facing and hopefully some solutions too.
What have been your highlights of working at DICE so far?
There is a great community at DICE. Learning about the breadth of research everyone is doing has been really interesting, especially around the specialism of spatial nature planning and supporting nature restoration decision-making. I learn everyday about nature and how to support nature restoration, alongside colleagues with such an array of skills.
Can you share a fun fact about yourself?
Find out more about Camilla, on her profile page.